Adjustable-rack reversible developing-tank.



P. Y. HOWE. ADJUSTABLE BAGK REVERSIBLE DEVELOPING TANK.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 9, 1909.

Patented May 17, 1910.

llVl/E/VTOR .Pawg yhoa e By 4 ATTORNEYS WITNESSES rnncr YOUNG news, or YoNKnns, mew ronx.

' ADJUSTABLE-RACK nnvnasmnn nnvnnorme ranx.

Specification of Letter: Patent.

Patented May 17, 1910.

Application filed June .9, 1900. Serial No. 501,015.

To all whom it may comm:

Be it known thatI, PERCY Y. How, a subject of the King of Great Britain, and a resident of Yonkers, in the county of Westchester and State of New York, have invented. a new and Improved Adjustable- Rack Reversible. Developing-Tank, of which the followingis a full, clear, and exact de- SCIl tion. A c I T is invention relates to developing tanks such as used by photographers for developing hotographic lates.

T e ob ect of the invention is to produce an adjumble rack for holding the plates within the reversible tank, and to rovide a construction for the rack which Wlll enable plates of difierent sizes to be securely held. The rack involves a construction which permits the plates to descend to thebottom of the tank whether it is held in its upright or sition.

The invention consists in the construction and combination of parts to be more fully described hereinafter and particularly set forth in the claims.

Reference is to had to the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a vertical section through the tank showing the rack partly in elevation and partly in section, in this view the photographic plate is shown artly broken away; this view is substantial y a section on the ins 1-1 of Fig. 2; Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken throu h the device on the line 2--2 of Fig. 1; an Fig. 3 is a perspective showing the rack removed from the tank and" representing the same with its door open as 13gb plates were about to be placed in the ra Referring more articularly to the parts, 1 represents the ta which is of rectan lar form, the upper end of the tank being c osed by a removable cover 2. This cover 2 has its flange 3 oflmt outwardly near its point of connection with the body of the cover so as to form a groove 4 which receives the edge of a gasket 5 of rubber, or similar material. The side of the tank and the sides of the flanfif 3 are provided with fastenirg devices 6 w 'ch draw the cover firmly down on the edge of the tank so that the cover will be watertight. Within the tank I rovide a rack 7,. the construction of whic is most clearly shown in Fig. 1., This rack com prises two rectangular side frames 8, which present parallel longitudinal bars 9, and

arallel end bars 10. On the longitudinal ars 9, cross heads'lL and 12 are mountedto slide, the bodies of the said cross heads being formed of corrugated plates 13 and 14. The ends of the plate 13 are attached to shoes 15 and 16. The shoe 16 is formed of an angle clip, the flange 17 whereof has openings through which'the bars 9 on the adjacent side of the rack pass, as indicated, and has a web which lies on the outer sides of the bars so as to operate as a guide. A similar angular shoe 18 is attached to the corrending end of the plate 14. The corrugatwns of the plates 13 and 14 are disposed op ite to each other so as to enable them to old photo aphic plates 19 therebetween, as indicate in Fig. 2. Two plates ma be held in each channel, the film sides .0 the plates being disposed outwardly.

At the u end of the plate 14, as indicated in 1g. 3, a shoe 20 is attached, consisting ofa plate having openin through which the bars ass, as shown. e upper edge of this p ate is bent over so as to form a fla or keeper 21 projecting toward the middle portion of the rack. On the shoe 15 op osite to the keeper 21, a. door 22 is attacsied by a hinge connection 23. This door is formed of a body section 24 and a sliding section or gate 25. The section 24 is termed of a plate having its edges turned up to tone guide cleats 26. The edges of the gate 25 are bent over so as to form reinforcin cleats 27 which run. under the cleats 26. the end of the gate 25 which is disposed toward the body section26,atransverserollorhandle28is formed which facilitates the sliding of the gate, as will be readily understood. At its ee end the body sectlon 26 is formed with a cross bar 29 which acts as an additional guide for the gate.

About themiddle point of the plate 13, and on the outerside thereof, a strap 30 of metal is attached. This strap passes transversely across the plate and has integral arms 31 which project toward the opposite cross head 12. The upper and lower ed es of the arms 31 are bent over to form guide cleats 32, as indicated. On the outer side of the plate 12, a similar strap 33 is attached, and this strap has integral arms 34 which project toward the arms 31 and slide upon the outer face thereof, the upper and lower edges of the arms being received under the guide cleats 32. The upper and lower edges of the arms 34 are bent over so as to form reinforcing cleats 35, as shown. On the outer sides of the arms 34, resilient tongues 36 are attached rigidly at 37. The ends of .these tongues tend to hold themselves pressed a ainst the arms 31 and each tongue is provi ed with inwardly projecting pins or spurs 38. These spurs are adapted to engage in openings 39 formed in the arms. These openings 39 are placed in such positions that they will hold the, plates 13 and14 a roper distance apart to hold plates of difierent standard sizes, such as 4x5, 5x7.

When the plates are to be placed in the rack, the door is swung open and when the rack has been filled with the lates arranged in the manner suggested in Fig. 2, the door should be swung closed. The extension gate 25 of the door is then slid out so that its free end engages under the keeper 21. The rack is then placed in the tank, as indicated in Fig. 1, and the tank having been filled with developer, the cover 2 is placed in position and secured. The tank is then reversed repeatedly and with each reversal the plates with the cross heads and their connected parts, descend to the bottom of the tank. In this way the developer is agitated and at the same time the photographer can be assured that the photographic plates will be completely immersed.

Attention is called to the fact that whatever be the size of the plates held in the rack, the extension gate can be extended to engage the keeper 21. lVhen it is desired to change the adjustment of the rack, the pin 38 can be readily disengaged from the openings 39 by ulling the ends of the tongues 36 outward y. The bars 10 at one end of the frame are provided near their middle points with enlargements orhandles 40 which indicate the position in. which the rack should be inserted in thetank.

It should appear clearly from the above disclosure that when the cross heads 11 and 12 are connected rigidly through the medium of the pins 38 and the tongues 36, they form, to ether with the door 22, a sliding frame or holdin the plates.

It will be noted that t e corrugations in the lates 13 and 14 extend at right angles to tl i e plane of the door when it is closed. When the photographic plates are inserted in the channels of the cross heads, the lower edges of the plates will rest upon the webs of the shoes 16 and 18. These webs retain the plates on the side edges thereof opposite to the door.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Let ters Patent,

1. A rack adapted to be used for holding photographic plates, comprising a frame, a pair of cross heads mounted on said frame and adapted to approach or recede from each other, said cross heads having means for retaining the edges of the photographic plates, and an extensible cover forming a retaining wall for the plates and adapted to connect said cross heads.

2. A rack adapted to be used in reversible developing tanks, comprisin a frame, a sliding frame mounted on said first frame having a pair of oppositely disposed cross heads to engage the edges of the photographic plates, means for rigidly securing said cross heads to each other in different positions, and an extensible door connecting said cross heads and ada ted to be opened to permit the insertion of the photographic plates.

3. A photographic developing rack adapted to be used in reversible developing tanks, comprising a frame, cross heads mounted to slide on said frame and having arms projecting toward each other and sliding one upon the other, means for fixing said arms against sliding, and an extensible door connecting said cross heads and adapted to be opened to permit the photographic plates to be placed between said cross heads.

4. A photographic developing rack adapted to be used in a reversible developing tank, comprising a pair of substantially rectangular frames, cross heads sliding on said frames and having means for engaging the edges of the photographic plates, said cross heads having arms projecting toward each other and sliding one upon the other, means for locking said arms together to maintain said cross heads at a fixed distance from each other, and a door hinged to one of said cross heads and having a sliding gate adapted to be extended toward the opposite cross head, said. opposite cross' head having a keeper for engaging the end of saidgate. 5. A develo ing rack adapted to be used 5 with a reversi 1e developin tank, comprising a frame, cross heads'p apted to engage the edges of the photographic. plates and having shoes sliding on said frame, an extensible door mounted between said cross 10 heads and adapted to retain the photographic plates on'on-e side, said shoes being adapted to engage the edges of the plates opposite said door, and meansv for fixing said cross heads with respect to each other inany one of a plurality of different positions. 15

In testimony whereof I have slgned myv name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

PERCY YOUNG HOWE.

, Vitnesses:

GEORGE AUSTIN HARTLEY,

ALBERT W. BORN. 

